IPA Global Book Fair Report

2017
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

Contents:
Introduction 03
AMERICAS 05
Special focus: Mexico 08
Guadalajara International Book Fair 09
AFRICA 11
Special focus: Nigeria 13
Nigeria International Book Fair 15
ASIA and OCEANIA 16
Special focus: South Korea 19
Seoul International Book Fair 20
EUROPE 21
Special focus: Greece 26
Thessaloniki International Book Fair 27
ALDUS network 28
MIDDLE EAST and CENTRAL ASIA 29
Special focus: Egypt 32
Cairo International Book Fair 33
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

Introduction
Book fairs play a vital role in so- trade attendees, some are de-
cieties. While public book fairs signed for the general public,
promote books and reading, and others are hybrids, often
their professional equivalents separating their fair into profes-
allow publishers, agents, distrib- sional and public days, or
utors and retailers to meet and providing separate areas. In
do real business. They also Frankfurt, for instance, the first
draw media and public attention three days are trade days while
to the book industry and provide the public attends on the final
platforms for authors to meet two days. In Geneva, there is a
readers. Book fairs are a mo- special area dedicated to the
ment where many creative pro- conferences for book profes-
fessions converge. sionals.
In an age when business is of- The main function of profes-
ten done remotely, book profes- sional book fairs is to be a mar-
sionals still believe that book ket place for trade profession-
fairs have not lost their rele- als. Book rights are bought and
vance. On the contrary, deals sold, and agents pitch new titles
done at book fairs gain in terms to publishers. In recent years,
of quality, and the human di- buying and selling rights has
mension of these exchanges become the most dynamic ac-
becomes a pledge of trust. tivity of fairs.
This special report provides an People selling book rights at
extensive calendar of interna- book fairs are located either on
tional book fairs. It focuses on publishers’ stands or in a spe-
one book fair per continent, giv- cial rights centre, while buyers
ing its national context, and of- move around the fair from
fering a complete overview for meeting to meeting. Book rights
people who want to attend are offered via different models,
them. either on an exclusive basis to
the potential buyer, simultane-
Book fairs come in all shapes
and sizes, attracting a variety of ously to multiple buyers, or via
an auction. In a sense, a book
people and serving different
purposes. Some fairs only allow fair is a catalyst that propels
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

rights deals towards completion. Cairo and Guadalajara. A glance at the com-
That said, a book fair is also an exhibition. Pub- ments by first-time visitors reveals that the
standout recommendation for those discovering
lishing houses and companies from the wider
these ‘new territories’, is to lock down some ap-
publishing industry (distributors, technology
pointments in advance, and leave time for dis-
companies, printers and so on) use fairs to
covery, chance encounters and the unknown.
showcase their brand, products and services.
Some professionals simply walk around looking
at what others are publishing.
Book fairs also serve an important educational
purpose for book trade professionals, apprising
them of key trends through seminars, confer-
ences, panel discussions, presentations and
fellowship programmes. And book fairs offer a
range of events designed to facilitate network-
ing.
Livre Paris, Sweden’s Göteborg Book Fair and
the fairs in Bogota and Buenos Aires are promi-
nent cultural events promoting books and read-
International book fairs are also an important
ing to the public, but also providing a platform
aspect of the IPA’s work supporting publishers
for professional exchanges.
worldwide. IPA representatives are present at
Frankfurt Book Fair has established itself as the many of them, and some fairs host IPA events,
biggest international trade book fair, while the panels and conferences. To name some in
five other top fairs in terms of professional at- 2017, the Charles Clark Memorial Lecture
tendance happen in: London (the largest spring 2017: A Debate on Fair Us, took place on 15
fair), Bologna (specialized in children’s books), March at the London Book Fair; a workshop on
Guadalajara (the gateway to Latin America) and The book price, taxes, custom barriers and ob-
New York (BookExpo - the main market place stacles to book circulation: how books can
for US publishers). While these long- cross borders? will be held on 26 April at Gene-
established fairs have plateaued somewhat in va Book and Press Fair, while the IPA Prix Vol-
terms of their growth, newcomers are growing taire 2017 award ceremony will happen at
fast, such as Beijing and Shanghai (specialized Gothenburg Book Fair, in September. In addi-
in children’s books) in China, and the Indonesia tion, the IPA-led Educational Publishers Forum
International Book Fair, in Jakarta. There are open meeting will be hosted on 13 October by
also new additions such as Baku’s biennial Frankfurt Book Fair, and its transatlantic coun-
terpart, the Educational Publishers Forum
book fair, which will hold its fifth edition this
Americas, will be staged at Guadalajara Book
year, and the Eurasian Book Fair, in Astana,
Fair.
with its second edition in 2017.
While some require a serious advance prepara-
tion in terms of making contact with potential
business partners and arranging professional
appointments, such as Frankfurt and London,
others allow visitors more spontaneity, such as
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
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Fast facts:
Mexico
Sitting at the crossroads between
continents and with a centuries-
those selling their books for these
governmental programmes, which
GDP USD 307tn old history of welcoming adven- produced 145,195,723 copies or
(2016)
turers, immigrants and business- 26,762 titles. The same year,
GDP per capita men, as well as intellectuals, art- 146,693,665 paper copies were
USD 18,900 ists and refugees from wars or sold for 10,288,278,499 Mexican
(2016) oppressive regimes, Mexico was pesos (USD 525,078,548).
Population seen as promising opportunity The government is the main dis-
123,166,749 (July and freedom, a cradle of creativity
2016) tributor of printed works, and was
offering the perfect blend of tradi-
responsible for distributing 35% of
 0-14 years old tion and modernity, indigenous all copies sold in 2015. However,
27.26% and foreign. these sales accounted for just
 15-24 years 14% of publishers’ revenues. The
old 17.72% In PricewaterhouseCoopers’ fore- second major distribution channel
 25-54 years casting report The long view: how is the network of libraries, which
old 40.69% will the global economic order accounted for 24% of all copies
change by 2050? Mexico is pre- sold in 2015 and was more profit-
Education public
expenditure 5.2% dicted to be one of the top 10 able with 38% of all invoices in
GDP (2012) economies in the near future. 2015. The third channel is repre-
79.2% of total sented by direct sales to schools,
population is ur- Mexican publishing which made up 26% of publish-
ban (2015) ers’ revenues.
and book fairs
Approx. 25% of Digital sales accounted for
population living The Mexican publishing market
97,583,278 Mexican pesos (USD
in and around has a high public sector participa-
Mexico City 4,980,774), an increase of 123%
tion rate. In 2015, of 308 million
compared to 2014, of which 45%
106.8m mobile total copies produced, 53% (163
came from first editions, 20 mil-
phones million) were produced by the
lion Mexican pesos (USD
70m internet us- public sector, with 47 million pro-
1,020,773) more than in 2014.
ers duced by the private sector for
government purchases. This lat- The main distribution channel for
ter arrangement accounts for digital editions is foreign plat-
some 32% of private sector pro- forms. They represent 70% of to-
duction and concerns national tal digital sales. The second most
programmes of free secondary important distribution channel is
school textbook distribution, text- composed of individual publish-
books for English learning and ers’ platforms and websites, and
books for libraries. makes up 27% of total sales.

In 2015, there were 228 private There were 905 companies work-
publishing houses, including ing directly or indirectly in publish-

ing, which represented 7,410 reg-
ular employees (a 2% drop since
2014), 737 short-term employees
(down 9% since 2014) and 2,830
freelance professionals employed
for specific projects (5% fewer
than in 2014).
Even though results of the first se-
mester 2016 were lower year-on-
year than in 2015, barring text-
books, Mexican publishers re-
mained optimistic about end-of-
year results, especially for trade
publishing.
Several book fairs are organized
throughout Mexico during the
year, offering an additional sales
channel and an important forum
for reading promotion. Examples
are the International Book Fair of
Minería Palace; Gran Remate del
Libro (Big Book Discount); book
fairs in Zacatecas, Ciudad Juárez
and Chihuahua. In addition, the
International Children and Young
Adults Book Fair (FILIJ) is reputed
to be the biggest children’s book
fair in Latin America and creates
the biggest income per participat-
ing publisher, with the biggest
sales coming at weekends.
Finally, the three fastest growing
types of books are: textbooks and
basic education (39.6% of in-
come), English learning (17% of
income) and children’s books
(9%). This explains the success of
FILIJ, which takes place in No-
vember in Mexico City.
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
Guadalajara International Book Fair
The Guadalajara Internation- have a platform. FIL was
al Book Fair – FIL Guadala- conceived as a space that’s
jara – was the brainchild of open to thought, promotion
the University of Guadalaja- of reading, discussion of ide-
ra, and celebrated its 30th as and, therefore, for
anniversary in 2016 with an knowledge.
outstanding programme built
It’s the most important pub-
around the guest of honour,
lishing meeting in Latin
the continent of Latin Ameri-
America and an extraordi-
ca.
nary cultural festival. On top
After Mexico City, Guadala- of the academic, literary and
jara is Mexico’s second larg- cultural activities directed at
est city and considered the the public of all ages (there
cultural capital, with a repu- is a space dedicated to chil-
tation for its mariachis, cui- dren and young adults), FIL
sine and tequila. Guadalajara is also a fair for
publishing professionals. For
three days more than 20,000
people from around the
world come to exchange
opinions at specialized train-
ing forums, as well as to
The IPA spoke to FIL Gua- trade rights, or buy materials
dalajara Director Marisol for national and international
Schultz about what’s on of- libraries.
fer at FIL, the fair’s achieve-
ments and her aspirations In 2016, professional activ-
for the future. ities were double those of-
fered in 2015. Was that a
How would you define one-off or part of a trend
Guadalajara Book Fair? you’ll continue in the fu-
MS: Over its 30-year life, FIL ture?
has consolidated its position In 2016 Latin America was
as one of the most important the guest of honour, which
cultural and literary events in led to a significant increase
the Spanish-speaking world, in activities for professionals,
and as a place where for and which probably won’t be
nine days a year all voices the case with Madrid, this
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

year’s guest of honour. Howev- Rights Centre also get three rights trading in Ibero-America.
er, we are always looking for nights’ accommodation. All the In this area the countries with
diverse content to allow differ- benefits that we offer at the fair the largest presence are the
ent kinds of professionals to are open to all registered pro- US, Spain and the UK, and in
analyse and discuss global fessionals, regardless of origin, recent years we have seen a
trends, to deal with the chang- but we focus on promotion strong contingent of publishers,
es and challenges in the pub- among professionals from literary agencies and transla-
lishing industry. From July, countries where Spanish is not tion support institutions from
we’ll start to refresh the offer of an official language to generate Nordic countries.
forums, meetings, congresses, more business flow.
workshops, consultations, con- As for annual public participa-
We also have a collaboration
ferences, discussions and tion, there has also been a
agreement with the American
round tables for professionals gradual increase of attendees
Library Association for partici-
this year. and activities, although this is
pation of librarians from the US limited by the space itself.
What are the services to at- that serve Spanish-speaking
tract non-Spanish-speaking communities. This programme
professionals? allowwhich represents some
major buying power.s us to at-
All FIL visitors registered as
tract some 200 librarians,
professionals get the following
benefits: It should also be noted that FIL
staff take part in various inter-
 entry badge for the nine
national book fairs to make
days What are your ambitions for
new contacts and attract other
 their details published in markets. This has resulted in FIL’s future?
the professionals cata- an increasing representation of The fair has plans to diversify
logue to other markets, with the idea
markets from as far away as
of incorporating more and more
 access to the workspaces Asia. countries. Year after year, the
and services in the Busi- What element of the fair has fair renews its literary and cul-
ness Centre experienced the most growth tural offer and is alert to global
 advice on potential con- in recent years? trends. Examples of new pro-
jects are the recently created
tacts for meetings at FIL FIL Guadalajara has seen sus-
Braille book stands and the e-
Guadalajara, if required. tained growth in the participa- book modules, and in 2017 we
FIL offers three nights’ accom- tion of professionals not only will open a comic and graphic
modation for the following pro- from Latin America, but also novel hall.
fessionals: librarians, from the US, Canada, Asia and
booksellers, distributors, illus- Europe, but what stands out is
trators and translators. Compa- rising demand for the Rights
nies that reserve a desk in the Centre, the best platform for

Read more about Guadalajara Book Fair from a rights agent’s perspective:
Guadalajara: Discovering Latin American Publishing
Second Foreign Rights Trip to Guadalajara for 2 Seas Agency
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

Fast facts:
Nigeria
In recent years’ interviews, we - Indirect sales: Some companies
learnt about the untapped potential engage distributors who manage
GDP USD of the Nigerians and their book mar- sales as well as take care of some
1.092tn (2015 ket, but also the rampant piracy that level of book marketing to end us-
est.) it faces – 75% of books are estimat- ers, while their sales representa-
ed as illegal copies. tives only do the promotion and
GDP per capita manage the distributors.
USD 6,100 This time, the IPA - Direct sales: Some publishing
interviewed companies have their sales repre-
186,053,386 Gbadega Ade- sentatives involved in the direct
population (est. dapo, CEO of marketing and sales.
July 2016) Rasmed Publica-
tions Limited, President of Product categories and estimated
 0 –14 years the Nigerian Publishers Association market percentage include:
old 42.79% (NPA), and a member of the IPA
 15 – 24 Executive Committee, to learn more - Textbooks (schoolbooks) 60% –
years old about this market and any develop- curriculum based books, meant for
19.48 % ments in copyright enforcement. study of particular subjects. This
applies to primary and secondary
25m pupils in What is the structure of Nigeria’s schools.
primary book market? - Textbooks (tertiary books) 20%
schools – books used in monotechnics, pol-
5m in private The publishing industry landscape ytechnics, colleges of education,
schools in Nigeria is not really far from what universities and research institutes.
operates in some developed coun- - Religion/motivational books
8m in second- tries. 10% – read for personal or spiritual
ary schools We can summarize it as follows: development.
- Trade subject books 5% – de-
47.8 % of total
The types of book publishing com- signed or authored to develop prod-
population is
panies are key to understanding of uct user manuals or vocational skills
urban
the Nigerian book market structure: and provide special training in areas
150.8 m mobile - Multinational publishing compa- not limited to craft and design.
phones, nies that are now being managed - General books 5% – of general
86.1m internet by Nigerian directors. interest in the areas of fiction and
users - Indigenous publishing houses nonfiction, mostly read for pleasure.
founded and managed by Nigerians
- Self-publishing – publishing com- What are Nigerian reading habits
panies mostly managed by individu- like?
als or a few people and as such
manage all publishing activities of According to the UNESCO Institute
their books by themselves, includ- for Statistics (UIS), in 2015 the liter-
ing authoring, editing, production, acy rate in Nigeria was 59.6%
marketing, distribution and overall which is 103.5 million potential
financing. readers, based on the 2013 popula-
The structure of the book market tion figure of 173.6 million.
and supply strategy vary from one
company to the other: In Nigeria, there are different read-

ing which we could categorize
as:
- Utilitarian reading: to pass
immediate exams, the most
prominent in Nigeria – makes
up about 85% of readers.
- Spiritual/motivational read-
ing: to be spiritually, morally
upright and motivated to
achieve goals and realize am-
bitions – about 10% of readers.
- General reading: for pleas-
ure – about 5% of readers.
What’s the ratio of local and
foreign books?
Most schoolbooks in Nigeria
are curriculum based. Virtually
all schoolbooks are local and
tailored to local curriculum re-
quirements and exams. Curric-
ula standards are also speci-
fied at tertiary level, but here a
higher percentage is foreign,
which discourages adherence
to and purpose of the National
Tertiary Curricula.
We can make the following es-
timations:
- Schoolbooks (curriculum
based) – 100% local
- Tertiary books – c.70% for-
eign, 30% local
- Children books (general chil-
dren readers)– 80% foreign,
20% local
- Religion books– 80% local,
20% foreign
Nearly half of Nigerians are
urban. Does this facilitate
distribution?
Yes, it does facilitate distribu-
tion as major book production,
marketing and selling activities
take place in the urban centres.
See previous reports:
Book Piracy in Nigeria (2014)
Otunba Olayinka Lawal-Solarin on challenges facing publishing in Nigeria (2015)
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
Urban route connectivity, avail- in collaboration with the Nigeri-
ability of communication chan- an Copyright Commission
nels as well as basic amenities (NCC) has organized several
make it easier for publishers to advocacy events sensitizing
make their products available stakeholders to the havoc of
to end users. The contributions piracy as well as its negative
of urban book vendors/ impacts on education stake-
bookshops as distribution holders. NPA and NCC lead
channels/centres to the value collaborative activities on rais-
chain cannot be overstated. ing awareness and fighting pi-
racy. Both organizations are
Are e-books and mobile de- very active. Several book pi-
vice reading popular? Are rates have been raided and
Nigerian publishers publish- convicted, as a deterrent to
ing in digital formats or ex- others.
perimenting any new plat-
forms? Port Harcourt was recently
awarded the title of World
E-books and reading on mobile Book Capital. Are there any
devices are at the introductory other ongoing nationwide ini-
stage and the adoption by pub- tiatives to promote literacy
lishers is gradually improving. It and reading?
is perceived that embracing e-
books might increase piracy This is a clear indication that
and undermine intellectual the Nigerian book industry is
property protection. Secure striving to promote reading cul-
management of e-books is per- ture, despite the challenges it
haps one of the main concerns faces. It also tells of a world on
of publishing firms, and is con- the lookout to reward activities
sequently thought to be delay- that promote educational
ing adoption. standards.
The e-book market is just
emerging. Some publishing Some examples of literacy and
houses have it at experimental reading promotion in Nigeria
stage while its adoption in an e- are: radio and television pro-
book pioneering state such as grammes, Lagos Book Festival,
Osun raised sustainability Committee for Relevant Arts
questions. (CORA), Nigerian International
Book Fair (NIBF), regional
Are there recent develop- book fairs in Ibadan
ments in fighting piracy and (southwest) and Enugu
enforcing copyright? (southeast), book clubs, literary
and debate programmes.
Yes, the Nigerian Publishers
Association (NPA) recently in-
augurated a State Chapter to
enable proper curbing and a
strong fight against piracy. NPA
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

The 16th Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF)

Like the vast majority of the African book fairs, the Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF) is a
large cultural and festive event aimed at the public. Designed for literacy and reading promotion
and managed by the Nigerian Book Fair Trust, NIBF 2017 is scheduled from Monday, 8 May un-
til Saturday, 13 May. It will be held at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos State. Regis-
tration is currently open. This is a privileged platform for showcasing educational materials and a
shop window for exhibitors where they can get a discount while booking their stands at least six
months before the event. It attracts visitors from Botswana, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Ni-
geria, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA and Zimba-
bwe.

NIBF stages such activities as: children's programmes, librarian workshops, teacher training
workshops, publishers' workshops, authors' workshops, authors' book reading and signing and
printers' seminars.

For more information visit: www.nibfng.org or contact info@nibfng.org

t: +234-803 402 69 71 / 702 686 71 56 / 702 686 71 57
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
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South Korea
Fast facts:
The dynamic modern
Korean publishing industry
the lowest expenditure for books
since records began in 2003. The
average family income in 2015
GDP USD
1.929tn (2016) • USD 4,25tln in sales rose 20.4% in comparison to 2010
• 45,213 new titles and average consumption expendi-
GDP per capita • 9,714 translated titles tures rose by 12.1%, but total
USD 37,900 • Import value of Korean publica-
(2016) amount of money spent on pur-
tions USD 319mln
chasing books dropped 24.1%.
Population • Export value of Korean publica-
50,924,172 (July tions USD 247mln Retail sales, including online sales
2016) • 49,741 registered publishing of titles and stationery, in 2015
 0-14 years houses were 5.5435tn won (USD 4.6bn)
old 13.45% • 19,055 libraries Online bookstore sales are an im-
 15-24 years • 2,116 bookstores portant index in analyzing the sta-
old 13.08% tus of the industry. In 2015 the
Currently the bestselling books in
 25-54 years South Korea are novels, comics online sales of titles were 1.1509tn
old 45.93% and children’s books, and social won (USD 950ml) compared to
Public education science – in particular politics and 1.2804tn (USD 1bn) in 2014, a
expenditure law – which has been driven by 10.1% drop. That said, online
4.6% of GDP recent political scandals. bookstore sales had increased
(2012) steadily from 2001 to 2011, and
Since 2004, 20 Korean titles have
82.5% of total began to fall away in 2012.
won the Bologna Ragazzi Award
population is ur- In addition, the arrival of a fixed
ban (2015) and, since 2007, more than 60 Ko-
rean illustrators have been select- book price system, which came
59m mobile into force on 21 November 2014,
ed for the illustration exhibition at
phones meant only the biggest online re-
Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
44.1m internet These successes have brought tailers navigated their way through
users 2015 without incurring serious
greater visibility, interest and popu-
larity to Korean children’s books losses. In anticipation of the new
among foreign agents and publish- law, online bookstores offered spe-
ers. cial discounts, inflating sales by
7%, before normality was restored
According to a family expenditure
and sales began to tumble in 2015.
survey released by Statistics Korea
in 2015, a family with more than Bricks and mortar bookstores, on
two members spent 16,623 won the other hand, were less affected
(USD 13.70) on books which by the new regulations in 2015 be-
meant a decrease of 8.4% (from cause many regional governments
18,154 won, or USD 15.00) in rela- and educational offices implement-
tion to the previous year and was ed a policy of buying books from

local stores for local public li-
braries.
The total production of South
Korea’s publication industry
dropped by 7.7% in 2015 com-
pared to 2010. Families’ reluc-
tance to buy books compelled
publishers to became more
prudent and publish fewer ti-
tles.
In terms of total sales of titles
and stationery, the best year
was 2011. There was a slight
decrease in 2012 and 2013,
before a return to positive re-
sults in 2014. Retail sales of
titles in 2015 again marked a
4.8% drop since 2014, the low-
est recorded level of the past
six years.
According to a survey conduct-
ed on reading habits of Kore-
ans in 2010, 2011, 2013, and
2015, paperback reading by
adults increased from 2011 to
2013. However, in 2015, read-
ership among adults was of
65.3%, which dropped 6.1% in
comparison to the previous
year. An average adult reads
9.1 books per year according
to the survey in 2015 (it was
10.8 books in 2010). But the
purchase of books by regular
readers increased to 14 books
in 2015.
Special thanks to:
Sung-kwon Liu and Ji-yeon
Lee from the Korean Pub-
lishers Association for their
contribution
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
Seoul International Book Fair
Founded in 1954 as a national event, Seoul International
Book Fair has always played an important role in promoting
reading culture and strengthening the Korean publishing in-
dustry. In 1995 the adjective ‘international’ was added to the
name to reflect its evolving scope. This book fair, which is or-
ganized by the Korean Publishers Association, takes place
from 14 to 18 June in Halls A and B1 of the COEX Convention
and Exhibition Center. It facilitates an active international book
trade and showcases the competences of Korean publishers.
In 2017, there will be a new cultural area created for the public
where illustrators, art book creators and artists will promote
their works and communicate with visitors. This year’s guest
of honor is Turkey, in celebration of 60 years of diplomatic re-
lations between the two countries. And Canada will be the
spotlight country as it celebrates 150 years as a country.
Seoul International Book Fair is for public visitors and for pro-
fessionals, with a steady increase in the buying and selling of
rights since 2009. Professionals can access a rights centre
with 25 meeting tables, storage space and complimentary re-
freshments. A table can be booked online from 1 May onward.
In 2016 around 190 Korean companies had meetings with for-
eign publishers or agencies at the rights centre. The exhibitor
application form can be downloaded here.
The Korean publishing market still has enormous untapped
potential. There are many interesting and profitable titles in all
publishing categories, but most are in need of good editors
and translators. By visiting the Seoul International Book Fair,
foreign professionals have the opportunity to find great Kore-
an titles, such as Vegetarian, or Please look after mom.
Finally, more than 20% of titles published in Korea annually
are translations, so foreign publishers and agents are encour-
aged to present their lists to their Korean partners.
The majority of the Korean book professionals, such as edi-
tors, rights managers and agents, are very passionate and
knowledgeable about their work and publishing in general.
Networking with them is a chance for foreign visitors to find
new inspiration for their own businesses.
The Korean Publishers Association’s vision is that SIBF will
become not only the biggest book festival for publishers and
readers, but also the biggest hub for the rights trade in Asia.
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Fast facts:
Greece
Fewer than 50% of Greeks are
regular book readers, while 42.3%
GDP USD 286bn of people aged 15 or over read at
(2015) least one book per year (source:
National Book Centre, Reading
GDP per capita
Behavior Survey, 2010). Of these,
USD 26,400
34.2% read between one and nine
(2015)
books per year and 8.1% read
10,773,253 popu- more than 10 books per year,
lation (July 2016): while an additional 16.9% read
books only for professional and /
 0-14 years old
or educational reasons.
13.93
The Ministry of Culture’s short-
 15-24 years old term goal is to raise these rates
9.68% and leverage economic progress
 25-54 years old through knowledge building. Sev- ulated. Sometimes books from
42.71% eral reading promotion initiatives
have appeared with government
78% urban popu- support.
lation
Official recognition of these efforts every step.
Literacy rate came when UNESCO named Ath- The book market is restructuring.
97.7% ens the World Book Capital for
Education ex- 2018, which promises to be a
penditure 4.1% of standout success.
GDP In recent years, there was a sharp 70% of all titles:
decline (–37%) in the number of
12.7m mobile
new titles published in Greece:
phones
10,680 titles in 2008 to approxi-
7.2m internet us- mately 6,700 titles in 2015.
An average print run is 2,000 cop-
ies for novels and between 500
and 800 copies for essays and po-
etry.
A book is considered as bestseller
if it sells between 7,000 and
40,000 copies, with occasional hits
selling 100,000 or even 500,000
copies, such as works by J.K.
Rowling, Dan Brown and EL
James.
But due to the economic crisis, the
book market is under pressure in
Greece, with book sales steadily
falling while the price of consumer
goods rises. Once profitable pub-
lishers and booksellers are now
running at a loss, driving smaller,
companies out of business and
making competition among the few
remaining key players even fiercer.
As a consequence, in 2014 the
fixed book price was partially
abandoned and the market dereg-
stock (backlists) are sold at deriso-
ry prices of as little as €1, so mar-
ket players need to be cautious at
Production is currently concentrat-
ed but has a long tail. One in six
publishers, or 159 in total, produce
 Three major publishers pub-
lish more than 200 titles per
year (13.1%),
 10 publishers publish be-
tween 80 and 199 titles per
year (15.3%),
 146 publishers publish be-
tween 10 and 79 titles per
year (41.3%),
 760 publishers publish be-
tween one and nine titles per
year (30.3 %).
The market leaders have diversi-
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

fied their publishing profiles,
namely: Patakis, Psichogios,
Metaichmio, Minoas, Kedros,
Dioptra, Livanis and Kastani-
otis. The medium-sized experi-
enced publishers remain resili-
ent and there are some new
specialized start-ups emerging,
for instance in distinct quality
fiction / poetry publishing.
Children’s books account for
some 20% of the market, with
acclaimed contemporary local
authors and outstanding illus-
trators. Translations account
for 32.1% of total book produc- bookshops chains have been
tion and are dominated by Eng- worst hit by the economic cri-
lish language (50%). sis. The main distribution chan-
Greek e-books were launched nels appear to be the mixed
in 2010 and currently account cultural product big stores, dis-
count stores with a large turno-
for an estimated 7,000 titles,
which represents less than 1% ver and some local chains,
such as Public, Ianos, or
of the market. The main plat-
Evripidis. That said, a number
forms for their sales are: cos-
of some small independent
motebooks.gr, myebooks.gr
and openbook.gr, offering free quality bookshops have ap-
downloads with Creative Com- peared, including Epi Lexei,
mons licensing. Amazon is ab- Pleiades, Lexikopoleion and
Booktique.
sent from the Greek market.
Traditional high-street

This article is based on information provided by Socrates Kabouropoulos,

member of the Greek Ministry of Culture’s Book Policy Working Group.
More information is included in Socrates’s article The Age of Discontent:
Greek Publishing Through Six Years of Austerity published in Publishing Re-
search Quarterly (and shared through Springer Nature Sharedit, as a full-text
view-only pdf file: rdcu.be/onza)

Thessaloniki International Book Fair

Located at the heart of the Its focus is on dialogue, co-
Mediterranean, Thessaloniki creation, interaction and the
International Book Fair (TBF) is development of a dynamic
a hub for book book community that will
professionals spread the vision for a cultural
from uplift. Every year TBF hosts
Greece, the more than 300 events, includ-
Balkans, ing The European Young Writ-
Southeast- ers’ Festival, The International
ern Mediter- Literature and Translation Fes-
ranean and tival, literary meetings, presen-
Western Europe. We spoke to tations, round tables, meetings
Nopi Chatzigeorgiou, Coordi- and seminars for professionals,
nator of the Thessaloniki Book speeches, workshops, projec-
Fair at the Hellenic Foundation tions, artistic and theatrical
for Culture, one of the fair’s events, activities for children
promoters, to learn more about and parallel cultural events in
the 2017 programme. the city.
TBF attracts over 70,000 visi-
What is the essence of Thes- tors and more than 500 book
saloniki International Book exhibitors from Greece, and
Fair? more than 90 from other coun-
tries, this is the most important
annual Greek event involving
books, bringing together book
professionals and institutions
on a cultural platform promot-
ing the exchange of ideas and
innovative knowhow.
Is Thessaloniki International
Book Fair for professionals
or the public?
Both. The first two mornings,
on Thursday and Friday, are
focused on professional meet-
ings, seminars and workshops,
and are also dedicated to
school visits with special pro-
grammes for students and edu-
cators. All professionals are
admitted to the professional
programme of conferences and
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

meetings for free. There is a This year’s main spotlight is on cultural programme also in-
B2B room for professionals and southern European cultures, cludes the fourth Young Writ-
a special area for foreign exhib-
and there will be a special fo- ers’ Festival, the second Trans-
itors in the middle of Hall 13 in
cus on the Greek author Nikos lation Festival, special chil-
HELEXPO. Kazantzakis (1883-1957). We dren’s and teenagers’ corners
However, it is also the biggest will facilitate exchanges on the and more than 300 events
impact of migration and refu- open to readers and biblio-
cultural event for the public,
and its aims are also promotion gees through presentations of philes, featuring book presenta-
of reading among children and recent literary works. There will tions by authors from Greece
also be events devoted to the and abroad, panels, roundtable
young people and building a
consequences of the 1917 discussions and conferences,
knowledge society.
Russian revolution and to the presentations of new technolo-
What should we look out for celebration of 2017 as a year of gies, and parallel cultural
in 2017? cultural exchanges between events held in and around the
Greece and China. The fair’s city.

In June 2016 the European 15th century publisher and hu- every exhibition unique.
Commission-funded ALDUS, manist Aldus Pius Manutius, is
the European Book Fairs’ Net- conceived as a network for col- In early 2017, the ALDUS Book
work, was launched under the laboration and exchange Fairs’ Network online communi-
Creative Europe programme to among anyone involved in the ty was launched to promote the
promote transnational mobility organization of book fairs and creation of an international net-
of European literary works and other events for publishing pro- work of publishing profession-
book professionals. fessionals. als working in the fields of inter-
nationalization, digital innova-
Experimenting with new inter- At its core are two leading inter- tion, literature promotion and
active and engaging event for- national B2B book fairs, namely translation. It allows publishers,
mats, such as for networking Frankfurt Book Fair and Bolo- translators, literary agents and
and training, ALDUS seeks to gna Children’s Book Fair, and a other book professionals to pro-
build capacity in internationali- range of consumer fairs in Bu- file themselves and network
zation, translation, digital shift charest, Lisbon, Riga, Rome with international peers through
and audience development, and Vilnius. The network is al- social networks.
and help book professionals to ready evolving to become fully
develop their careers interna- pan-European and has started Registered users of the ALDUS
tionally. collaborating with other fairs, website have access to premi-
starting from Antwerp, London, um content on the ALDUS
The project also aims to en- Milan, Sofia, Thessaloniki and Knowledge Hub and can sub-
hance the capacity of book fairs Vienna. scribe to the ALDUS newsletter
to organize and promote similar to stay apprised of events and
activities, to develop their inter- An overview of the rich variety news.
national dimension and to en- of this European scenario can
gage audiences in innovative be found in the ALDUS bro- To create an account, click the
ways. chure, ‘European Book Fairs. Log-in/Registration tab at the
Facts and Figures’ which high- top right corner of the Aldus
ALDUS, which is named after lights the aspects that make website.
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

Fast facts:
Egypt
According to an old Arab survey of Ahmed Ksibi, the most
read topics are: religion (85% of
GDP USD1.048tn aphorism: ‘Egypt writes,
respondents), The Quran (66%),
(2015) Lebanon publishes, Iraq daily news (57%), history (14%),
GDP per capita reads’. contemporary novels (13%), week-
USD11,800 (2015) ly political analysis (12%), contem-
Due to the absence of detailed, re-
Population porary poetry and cookery books
88,487,396 (July liable data and the presence of a
(both 7%). Although Egypt’s popu-
2015) common language, Arab countries
lation is comparable to that of Ger-
have often been considered a sin-
• 0-14 years old many, Egypt has just one tenth the
31.89% gle publishing market. Salah Che-
number that Germany has public
baro, CEO of online Arab
• 15-24 years libraries.
bookstore Neelwafurat, estimates
old 17.64%
that in 2012 the number of new ti- Egyptian publishing faces many
• 25-54 years tles produced in Lebanon, Syria, challenges, including near inexist-
old 38.45% Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, ent distribution channels, relatively
Education expendi- which together account for 80% of low literacy and reading rates, low
ture 3.8% of GDP the total publishing output of Arabic purchasing power, piracy and cen-
School life expec- countries, was 17,000. In Egypt, an sorship. However, Egypt was the
first country in the region to tackle
tancy 13 years average print run of a new title is
digital publishing, with the launch
Literacy 73.8% 1,000 copies, while an estimated
of Kotobarabia.com, a platform for
30% to 40% of published books
43.1% is urban po- digitization and sale of Arabic e-
are never sold. Some 17% of all
pulation books. It also offers services for
published books are religious in
public libraries and institutions,
94m mobile phones content.
available on an annual license ba-
31.8m internet users Only 73.8% of adult Egyptians are sis. Digital is a new opportunity to
literate and, of these, 87.7% are break down restrictions, such as
regular readers. According to the affordability, borders, censorship
and so on, and enable a wider dis-

To learn more, read the articles:

Alaa Al Aswany: Freedom to publish at all-time worst in Egypt 2016
Why don't more Arabs read? on Quora July 2012
The Arab Book Market presentation at Frankfurt Book Fair 2014
Plus de kutub please article in the Economist in June 2016
The Arab book market: censorship, piracy, ebooks and book fairs always on the go on Meier-
ment.de 2016
 IPA Global Book Fair Report 2017

Cairo International Book Fair

Cairo International Book Fair is lished ‘Cairo Calling’, a pro- Do you try to attract foreign
reputed to be the largest in the gramme for professionals that exhibitors and profession-
Arab World and on the whole happens during the first three als? If so, what are your
African continent. to four days. But even these strategies for doing so?
IPA inter- days are open to the public. This is what we have been try-
viewed
Is it a place to buy books to ing to achieve recently through
Sherif Bakr,
order them or to make rights our ‘Cairo Calling’ programme,
Secretary
deals? which was my initiative and re-
General and sponsibility. Basically, since we
Board Member of Buying physical books is the
do not have any financial sup-
the Egyptian Publishers Asso- main purpose of the fair, so
port to build a professional pro-
ciation and member of the Cai- mountains of books and people
gramme, but we have exten-
ro International Book Fair Or- buying them it is what you can
sive knowledge of the Arab
ganizing Council, to learn find all around the fair. As for
book market, we decided to
something of the recent chang- rights, there is no special place
help publishers, agents and
es at this event. designated to this purpose, but
cultural institutes who wish to
we try to promote this activity
Is the Cairo International explore Arab publishing, by giv-
through the ‘Cairo Calling’
Book Fair designed for the ing them the opportunity to par-
days. Currently, the deals are
public, professionals, or ticipate for free. They only have
done directly at the publishers’
both? to pay their travel expenses, so
stands.
those who are interested in at-
The book fair is mainly for the
What kind of facilities do you tending pay for their accommo-
public. It is the place of
have for professionals? dation and flight and we ar-
bookselling to public visitors
As it is a well-established book range a tour especially for
and also the site of sales of or-
fair, all these matters are al- them. We introduce them to the
ders for universities, research
ready settled; everybody has Arab publishers who suit their
centres and public libraries
their habits and knows who needs in an appropriate and
from all over the Arab World,
they will send their books to somewhat informal way that
as well as for wholesalers and
and so on. Some hotels have the Arabs and Egyptians like.
bookstores from different parts
of the Arab World. Thousands special deals for members of What are your ambitions for
of physical copies are stocked,the Egyptian Publishers Asso- future developments?
sold and bought here. ciation and its guests. There
We hope to have a better fair-
are standard booths, and some
Are there separate days or ground and be able to organize
publishers make their own dec-
areas for professionals to at- orations or build a booth in the a professional programme that
tend the fair? suits the Arab World.
open area of the fair for more
There are no professional visibility and promotion.
days, but recently we estab-

Contact the Cairo International Book Fair at: fairs@gebo.gov.eg

Contact Sherif Bakr at: sherifbakr@yahoo.com
Report prepared by Joanna Bazán Babczonek
secretariat@internationalpublishers.org
International Publishers Association